Batman comic book reading guide for beginners

Reading comics is wonderful, but it can also be overwhelming, given the sheer number of titles and authors. In fact, with a few exceptions, entering the world of comics is much more complex than any manga. Dragon Ball starts with Dragon Ball #1, but if I want to read Batman… do I have to read everything since 1939?

This guide was born in my head in December 2024, when I decided to give my mother, who grew up with Adam West and never missed a movie about the caped crusader, Batman: Year One for Christmas. I believe it's the best start for an adult reader who's never read comics.

Who is Batman?

In 1939, specifically in Detective Comics 27, the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman was born. Created by Bill Finger (screenwriter, who is always listed second even though he should be listed first) and a controversial comic book artist, Bob Kane (artist, playboy, and con man). A character with pulp nuances that broke the structure of the hero known until then: he has no powers, is driven by tragedy, and uses fear in his enemies.

The parallels with Zorro are enormous; so much so that it ends up being part of the character's lore because it's the movie Bruce watches with his parents before the most important murder in comic book history. In his first appearance, Batman faces Gotham's organized crime, a battle that would recur throughout his history.

For more than 85 years, with dozens of writers and artists involved, the Bat would have countless representations, ranging from the most absurd and cartoonish to the darkest and most violent. This is where the need for a reading guide comes into play. In this case, my selection is aimed primarily at those who have never read a Batman comic, and seeks a more adult experience with the character, covering the moments I consider indisputable in shaping his personality.

Batman: Year One (1987)

Frank Miller, a comic book artist who has scored several great goals in his life, wrote the script for this "new" origin of Batman. We were already coming from a slightly more mature character than in the '60s, thanks to Salvation Run by Neal Adams (the artist who finally defined the character visually) and Dennis O'Neil (screenwriter), where they introduced a lot of important lore for the character. In Year One, Miller and artist David Mazzuchelli managed to take that path from the '70s and '80s and reconstruct the character using elements of the gritty, noir cinema of those years.

The story is about Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham after an exhaustive training tour around the world. This young Bruce finds himself in a city plagued by crime (with the Falcone family at its helm) and decides to put his plan of revenge against all that's bad in Gotham into motion, becoming the city's protector and watchdog. In parallel, we meet Lieutenant Gordon, a fundamental character in the comics, who has to deal with internal police corruption and finds an ally in Batman to bring order to the city.

We're also introduced to characters at a very early stage, who will later become part of the important gallery of villains and allies, such as Selina Kyle (Catwoman) and Harvey Dent (Two Faces). Someone called The Joker is also mentioned…

Mazzuchelli's art is at an incredible level; the action and atmosphere he creates are essential for the script to do its job and take us through a story closer to a noir detective story than a superhero one.

Batman: The Killing Joke (1988)

Phew... where to start? A beautiful and incredibly tough story about the Bat, written by one of the best writers in comics, Mr. Alan Moore, and illustrated by Brian Bolland. Featuring a Batman that continues the traits of Miller's and O'Neil's, and a notable focus on the second most important character in the history of this Bat-Universe, The Joker.

Our beloved Harlequin Prince of Crime, after several encounters with Batman and growing obsession with him, hatches a plan to show him that the difference between what he's become and a normal person is just "one bad day." To achieve this, he captures, humiliates, and hurts the Gordon family, seeking to break and prove his point to Batman.

And one thing this story leaves us with is that "one bad day" was a trigger not only in the origin of the Joker, but also in Bruce's life. It's one of the most brutal stories about the Caped Crusader. A must-read.

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (1989)

It seems like a joke that what I'm recommending is from 1987, '88, and '89, but it's important to highlight how Frank Miller's work paved the way for these more adult stories. Added to this is the fact that it was a prime era for comics, with a convergence of authors at their peak and some rookies achieving their first hits.

In his script, Grant Morrison, the enfant terrible of comics during the '80s and '90s, brings us a new genre shift within the Batman universe. If we call Year One a noir crime thriller and if we classify The Killing Joke as a thriller, then Arkham Asylum is a horror film.

Already dubbed a "graphic novel"—a concept to be discussed in another article—Arkham Asylum: A sordid house in a sordid world, it impresses from the cover to the last page thanks to the powerful and twisted art of Dave McKean, known for his Sandman covers. In this extremely dark tale, the inmates of the mental asylum, made up of Batman's enemies, riot and take the staff hostage. Led by The Joker, they demand that the caped crusader enter alone, or they will begin to kill the hostages one by one.

The Bat embarks on a nightmarish journey where he faces his most iconic enemies, in a story that delves into the characters' psyches, their symbolism, and mythology. It is, without a doubt, a comic to have a bad time and give in to madness.

Batman: The Long Halloween (1996 - 1997)

One of the most important titles for me. Jeph Loeb (script) and Tim Sale (art) manage to bring together all the characteristics that make the Bat special, and give it the ideal context for a story that ultimately has everything going for it. Batman is a detective and a vigilante, and in The Long Halloween we see him again involved with his two specialties in a noir crime novel.

We could say it's set shortly after Year One, and it's a story that spans an entire year in the life of Bruce/Batman and Gotham City. The story brings back the Falcone crime family, as a member is being murdered every holiday of the year. While Batman and Gordon investigate this mysterious killer, something is happening on the streets of Gotham City.

Simple thieves and criminals begin to transform into the villains we know from the Batman universe. If there's one thing we love about Batman, it's his rogues gallery, and this work celebrates it in earnest: we see The Riddler, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, and The Mad Hatter working for the Falcone family, and Harvey Dent finally becoming Two Faces.

Batman: The Dark Knight Return (1986)

Frank Miller, author of the first work recommended in this article, wrote the ending before writing the new origin of Batman. One of the most important works in comic book heroes, with elements we'll see used many times later, but which originate here. Frankie not only writes but also uses his ultra-brutal drawing style to bring action to this story, which doesn't have a single panel too many or too few.

We meet a retired Bruce Wayne, 55 years old and quite broken. A decade has passed since he didn't wear the costume, after the death of Robin (Jason Todd), and Gotham is orphaned and mired in everything he wanted to avoid. This Bruce hides behind alcohol and racing his car collection... but the drive to be Batman and help the city he loves is stronger.

Over the course of this title, Batman once again faces old enemies, who by now are like high school friends because they've gotten to know each other so well. But he also has to wage war against the city's new generation of criminals, the Mutants. He won't be alone, as we have the debut of Carrie Kelly, one of the coolest Robins in the Bat-Universe, and the participation of many important characters in her life. And we can't forget the participation of Superman, with perhaps the most memorable interaction between the two.

These are—for me—the five most important titles to read about the character, in the order I would recommend them for someone who's never read Batman. Obviously, there's much more to recommend, but we'll stick with these essentials for now, and we'll continue.